Roussanne

Taking its name from the russet colour of the skins, Roussanne is a notoriously difficult grape variety to grow. It’s traditionally found in the Rhône Valley, in the North usually blended with the comparably easy-going Marsanne, a grape to which Roussanne is fast ceding ground. In the South Roussanne is usually part of a wider ranging blend, but single varietal Roussanne wines do exist, with Château de Beaucastel’s ageworthy Roussanne Vieilles Vignes a legendary example.